July 22, 2010

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Republican gubernatorial hopeful Carl Paladino is upping the ante in the debate over the planned ground zero-area mosque, saying in a new statewide radio ad that he would use the governmental power of eminent domain to prevent the project from happening.

This goes to one of the central issues of the debate that's raged around the mosque, which is a point made succinctly by Rep. Pete King recently: He doesn't support the project but legally sees no way to stop it.

The ad lays out Paladino, a Buffalo-area real estate developer, against Democrat Andrew Cuomo, who has defended the right of the mosque to exist under religious freedom.

From the news release:

"As governor I will use the power of eminent domain to stop this mosque and make the site a war memorial instead of a monument to those who attacked our country," Paladino says in the spot.

"Andrew Cuomo supports the mosque," Paladino said. "He says it is about religious freedom and he says the mosque construction should proceed. I say it is disrespectful to the thousands who died on Sept. 11 and their families, insulting to the thousands of troops who've been killed or injured in the ensuing wars and an affront to American people. And it must be stopped."

"There is little to no democracy in the Middle East other than Israel. The Islamic fundamentalists are fascists — women have limited rights, there is no free speech or freedom of expression, and citizens are subject to the often barbaric Sharia Law. I oppose a mosque near the site of ground zero, not because of race, but because of the ideology of the Islamic fundamentalists," Paladino said.

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Hey, Maggie! I'm a Rochester-area resident. Thanks for consistently covering Western New York for us, because we really feel left out of state politics. That being said, Paladino does not represent Western NY's best interests, and he won't get many votes here.

I oppose Mr. Paladino's plan to waste money, and abuse property rights through eminent domain.
For one thing, condos in that part of Manhattan have been known to sell for $3 million or more. In an eminent domain proceeding, a property like this could cost the state tens of milliions of dollars. The state would then have to spend tens of millions more to build something at the site for a public purpose.
To sustain any kind of public purpose argument for an eminent domain proceeding, the state would also have to purchase and develop other properties in the area. This would dramatically increase the cost to New York taxpayers into the hundreds of millions.
Mr. Paladino's knee-jerk proposal to abuse property rights and the First Amendment will worsen our state's budget crisis. As he and Rick Lazio race to win votes through the politics of hate, I will continue to fight for the Constitution and liberty.

What an insult opposition to the mosque is to the muslims murdered on 9-11! Thats right.... there were muslims in the twin towers. Paladino should apologize in person to the families of each of the muslims who were in the towers .

Do people know that people from 115 different Nations died that day?...This is a slap in the face of ALL those who died and the family, friend , that remain.....They WANT to SLAP America...They WANT what a spoiled child wants....Bloomberg can't even STAND Up for those 115 Nations and the 3,000 that died.....Bloomberg is a wuss!

I live in Rockaway Beach NY and was on the scene watching my fellow americans jumping to their deaths. We have dozens if not hundreds of mosques in the five boros including a few blocks from ground zero that has been there for at least 20 years. We did not go after muslims in this city, despite the fact they were openly cheering in Astoria and Jersey City. We do not want a mosque on ground zero!!! we are not allowed to build churches on muslim land nor even repair a standing church. Would we let the japs build a memorial at pearl harbor? how about a nazi shrine out side of auswich? The muslims should RESPECT OUR view and our feelings. They are guests in OUR COUNTRY!!!!

I'm a Republican in NY and will NOT be voting for these grandstanding bigots. They want to persecute an entire religion for the acts of a rotten few. I'm waiting for paladino and king to suggest we round up every muslim man, woman and child and ship them off to rikers.

I'm with George Demos on this one, REBUILD the St. Nicholas church. Check out this article. I think Demos sums it up nicely. http://www.georgedemosforcongress.com/refresh/templates/in_the_news.php?id=67

Allowing a mosque on that site would be a triumph of the American spirit. It would be a slap in the face of the terrorists who wish to create a divide within America over religious differences. The terrorists stand for telling people what religions are allowed on what soil. Americans stand for telling people that all are welcome, that is the whole melting pot concept. I will not tolerate public officials who denegrate other citizens religion for political gain, will you?

Posted By: Allowing a mosque on that site would be a triumph of the American spirit. It would be a slap in the | July 22, 2010 at 01:50 PM

Why are people lumping American and moderate Muslims in with the extremists? The people that want to build this mosque are AMERICANS just like you and me. They have 1st Amendment rights just like you and me, and its their country too. Oppressing the American-Muslim population will only perpetuate the perception that this is some kind of twisted, ancient holy war. I think America is a more free nation that that.

And I'm opposed to any more "Christian" churches for a religion that blows up people at the Olympics, holds anti-gay protests at military funerals, urges people to pray for the President's death, wants to force at-risk pregnancies to term to punish women for getting pregnant, would make everyone pray to their god in a public school, and kills doctors. And they call themselves CHRISTIAN. Those people are anti-American in every sense of the word and they're offensive.

The decision to build a mosque at ground zero, a site which has become a sacred place for so many, is entirely appropriate. It also shows how resilient American values are that in spite of extreme xenophobia (mostly from outside of NYC), a mosque can be built.
Oh right...and Carl is still my best source for bestiality porn.

Paladino will surely get the 'tarded conservative vote. OK, Mr. Real Estate -- what would be the "public purpose" for taking the land? And it is not "at" ground zero. It is two blocks away, blocked from view by two existing buildings. So you are going to make "war memorial" not where the tragedy happened (which akready has a park there), but two blocks and two buildings over? And when the Muslims sue and claim that the real basis for the decision was religious animus and, thus, a violation of the First Amendment, your idiotic rantings during the campaign would be Exhibit A. This is crack-smoking dumbness in full display.

The right of freedom of religion means they can pray to whomever they choose (or whatever), whenever. It does NOT say they can demand to build a house of worship wherever they want to. There are other mosques.
We are having a problem in Illinois where the muslims buy land or a home in a residential area and then want to turn it into a mosque or whatever. When the neighbors complain about devalued property, parking problems, etc., they are called racists.

I suggest that people take a look at what is happening in the Uk. Great Britain is being taken over by Muslims which were invited to immigrate to the country by the government. There is now mosques on every street and the government is expected to embrace Sharia Law. The Muslims have never integrated into British society they have expected the Brits to bend to them and if they don't or object they are called racists or bigots.
Sound familiar.

i am sure not everybody agrees with me but i think it is obscene that we spend $ 800 000 000. yes eight hundred million dollars (minimum)to build a memorial to the 9/11 victims. I fully appreciate their sacrifice but i believe that the best way to remember them is by doing something for the living, because only the living remember.
this is such a phony issue, it is two blocks away from the site, so is wall st and many offices of the most corrupt state in the US and other not very venerable institutions.

"Muslims are murderers. Muslims are intolerant. Muslims have sexual intercourse with goats. Muslims should be executed. Muslims are democRATS, I wonder why."
and this quote is why liberals think most conservatives are crazed racists

It is to soon after the most horrific (not accident), but deliberate atrocity to murder unwarranted men, women and children. It would take at least a century to start shipping away the plasted image imbedded in the minds of love ones.
To go ahead and build the mosque when most American citizens are against building this monstrousity of a monument would be bias. Because it would be showing favoritism towards Muslims, only because Barack Hussein Obama is Muslim.

Unbelievable that you people would support a mosque built there, named Cordova (google it--in Spain), opening on 9-11, where so many Americans died! It's an intentional slap in the face and you ought to realize that. Wake the he11 up! You must be the same people who voted in a president with Muslim roots and the family name Hussein, and will gladly accept Shari'a law and become Muslim to avoid your share of the Obamacare you probably also like! No wonder we're going down the drain so fast. The 1/3 with their heads in a tight dark place make so much more noise than the patriots of this country. We were attacked on that ground, just like Pearl Harbor. You've just basically said that every drop of blood ever shed by Americans for their country--including those of any religion who died in NYC 9 years afo--was for NOTHING. YOU ARE THROWING THIS COUNTRY AWAY--YOU DO NOT DESERVE TO LIVE HERE. Flame away you idiots.

He can not use eminent domain to seize the land and he must know it. Regardless of how broad the eminent domain powers of a governor in NY might be, they can not violate the Free Exercise clause or the Establishment clause- a little thing called the Supremacy clause. You can't seize land because you don't want a particular religious instution built- very basic stuff- and you especially cant do it if you announce your seizing the land to discriminate against the religion. Having announced his intent to prevent a mosque from being built- he's made it impossible to follow through with his supposed plans. Seems an awful lot of 'patriots' don't like our Constitution.